Inside the FBI: Operation Cross Country XI

Inside the FBI: Operation Cross Country XI

A total of 84 children were recovered during Operation Cross Country XI, an FBI-led nationwide operation focused on underage human trafficking.

Audio Transcript

Mollie Halpern: An FBI-led nationwide operation focused on underage human trafficking resulted in the recovery of a child as young as 3 months old.

A total of 84 children were recovered during Operation Cross Country XI, and the average age of the victims was 15 years old; 120 alleged traffickers were arrested.

Sacramento Police Detective Kristi Morse is part of an FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. This is her third year participating in the Cross Country crackdown.

Kristi Morse: What I see are very vulnerable victims, and the exploiters that we investigate are the ones that are taking advantage of those vulnerabilities and really manipulating them for their monetary benefit. They are just there to make money off of them, and they really don’t care about the lives of the juveniles that they’re exploiting.

Halpern: Victims are offered assistance through state services and the FBI’s Victim Services Division. Rachel Jacobson was at the command post...

Rachel Jacobson: FBI victim specialists are on scene working together with law enforcement to provide crisis response to these victims. They conduct in-depth assessments for their immediate needs and ensure placement in an appropriate and safe location.

Jacobson: Medical and mental health assessments and treatment, and food, clothing, and shelter. We also try to reunite the victims with their parents or legal guardians or make referrals to Child Protective Services.

Halpern: Operation Cross Country coincided with operations conducted by the FBI’s international partners in five countries. I’m Mollie Halpern of the Bureau. Thanks for listening to Inside the FBI.